Coating the town with warmth

Spanos Elementary teacher Devyn Lach wants to make sure every second and third grader at her school has a warm coat for winter.

The Record

Spanos Elementary teacher Devyn Lach wants to make sure every second and third grader at her school has a warm coat for winter.

She's set up a Facebook page, Simply Warm (Coats for Kids), and is looking for people to donate one new coat. One here, one there and before it's over all the Spanos El second- and third-graders can be covered in warmth.

The school sits just south of the Crosstown Freeway in a poverty and crime-ridden area.

Virtually all the school's 500 students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches. That's a pretty good indication of the struggles their families face.

Lach doesn't think students should have to struggle with the cold.

It's a small thing to most of us.

It's a big thing if you're a third-grader and your teeth are chattering.

The 29-year-old Lach has jumped in to help. The rest of us should too. You can sign up through the Facebook page or contact her directly at dsingleton@stockton.k12.ca.us or at (209) 933-7336. She'll let you know the specifics. She's also accepting cash donations and Target gift cards that will be used to purchase jackets for her students.